Category Archives: Spiritual Healing

Ullambana is the day for helping those beings who are suffering so that they can obtain liberation.

The Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana, one of the great disciples of the Buddha, was foremost in spiritual powers. When he obtained the six spiritual penetrations, he searched for his departed mother. He discovered that she had fallen into the hells. Although the Venerable Maudgalyayana had great spiritual powers, he could not save his mother. Thereupon he knelt before his teacher, the Buddha, and beseeched the World Honored One to help.

The Buddha explained that his mother was suffering in the hells because of her deep offenses and so the Venerable Maudgalyayana must rely on the united strength of the Sangha of the ten directions in order to save his mother.

The Buddha said, “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you should make an offering of the finest vegetarian foods and drinks and offer it to the Buddha and the Sangha. By making this offering, the Way-virtue of the high Sanghans of the ten directions will then be able to save your mother.”

The Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana did as the Buddha had instructed. Due to the strength of the greatly virtuous ones of the ten directions, his mother was reborn in the heavens. Since then, the Ullambana festival has become an annual Buddhist celebration and a day upon which anyone can rescue his or her parents of seven lives past.

The Venerable Master:

“No teaching is apart from Filiality. Apart from filiality, there is no teaching. When the limitless lessons under the sky are summarized, it is just this one lesson. This lesson encompasses limitless learning. Study this lesson to perfection and other lessons will also be completed.” — Master Hsuan Hua

History:

The celebrations begin on the 15th day of the seventh month known as Ghost Day and continue for the next fifteen days. Thus, the seventh month is generally referred to as the Ghost Month in the Chinese tradition.

Ullambana Sutra:

“Thus I have heard, at one time, the Buddha dwelt at Shravasti in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary. Mahamaudgalyayana had just obtained the six penetrations and wished to cross over his father and mother to repay their kindness for raising him. Thus, using his Way Eye, he regarded the world and saw that his deceased mother had been born among the hungry ghosts. Having neither food nor drink, she was but skin and bones.

Mahamaudgalyayana felt deep pity and sadness, filled a bowl with food, and went to provid for his mother. She got the bowl, screened it with her left hand, and with her right hand made a fist of food. But before it entered her mouth, it turned into burning coals which could not be eaten. Mahamaudgalyayana called out and wept sorrowfully, and hastened to return to the Buddy to set forth all of this.”

The Buddha said, “Your mother’s offenses are deep and firmly rooted. You alone do not have enough power. Although your filial sounds move heaven and earth, the heaven spirits, the earth spirits, twisted demons, and those outside the way, Brahmans, and the Four Heavenly King Gods are also without sufficient strength. The awesome spiritual power of the assembled Sangha of the ten directions is necessary for liberation to be attained. I shall now speak a Dharma of rescue which causes all those in difficulty to leave worry and suffering, and to eradicate obstacles from offenses.

“If one thus makes offerings to these Pravarana Sanghans, one’s present father and mother, parents of seven generations past, as well as the six kinds of close relatives will escape from the three paths of suffering, and at that time attain release.

Their clothing and food will spontaneously appear. If the parents are still alive, they will have wealth and blessings for a hundred years. Parents of seven generations past will be born in the heavens. Transformationally born, they will independently enter the celestial flower light, and experience limitless bliss.”

Donations:

The Singapore Sangha is preparing a festival for September 2nd, 2017. You can check it out and if you feel inspired make a donation at any time.

Barbara Ann Brennan (born 19 February 1939) is an American author, physicist, spiritual healer, businesswoman and teacher working in the field of energy healing. In 2011, she was listed by the Watkins Review as the 94th most spiritually influential person in the world. Since she has provided immeasurable benefit to myself and others I would rate her much higher.

As this information is hard to access, and the only website (the wingmakers) has since shut down, I felt compelled to place this information in a PDF file for safe keeping.

The image at the left shows part of the exercise of aligning the tan tien to the core of Mother Earth. Performed in this manner, grounding becomes a much easier thing.

When we are dangerously spaced-out from incorrect breathwork then we can quickly see how this exercise becomes invaluable.

The Hara Line:

The hara-line is our alignment to our life purpose and over time it can become bent, off center or even broken as we become disconnected from our true purpose. Regularly straightening it and maintaining it can have a massive impact on our sense of direction and purpose in life. It will give us an overall sense of being “on track”. It connects the earth’s core star, via our dan tien, soul star and the universal self.

One point that Barbara Brennan talks about in her book is how well a martial artist’s energetic core is developed. For instance, when a martial artist has practiced tai-chi for many years their hara line is properly connected from the tan tien to the earth’s core in a solid way.

As I have also witnessed, the martial artist’s hara line is incredibly stronger than the ordinary individual who doesn’t have that sort of self-discipline.

This work definitely makes our body more grounded and functional which is why Asian cultures incorporate tai-chi as part of a daily routine in the work-place. The added benefits to this meditation connects the hara-line all the way up to the soul seat and Godhead which would surpass the martial artist’s capability. Eventually, this will bring about more mental and emotional health while increasing balance and harmony.

Misalignment:

This is an example of a broken hara line.

Correct Alignment:

The image is an example of our hara line that is in perfect alignment.

As Barbara Brennan puts it:

“When you have aligned your first point of individuation from the godhead with your soul’s sacred longing and with the one note with which you have drawn your body up from your mother the earth, you have aligned yourself with your life purpose. You may not even know what it is, but you are aligned with it, and your actions will automatically be synchronistic with it as long as you remain aligned.”

While reading reviews for an interesting but rather misguided book entitled Confession of a Buddhist Atheist a certain sense of alarm comes to mind for those on the Path tainted by social conditioning and vast misunderstanding. Today, there are some secular Buddhists that want to do away with reincarnation and karma because it doesn’t fit with their personal world-view. Having such a wrong view emerge in the minds of these particular Buddhists is tolerable on one hand but so terribly sad in the end.

Likewise, without believing in karma and rebirth can anyone really practice hard enough to achieve the results of salvation?

Later on I came across this thought-provoking article that brings tears to my eyes when I consider it. This story is quite beautiful since we all can relate to it. This man’s realization of his own limitations and intellectual pride changed his whole outlook on life. Surely this was a blessing from the feminine aspect we call the dakini.

As I have said before, whenever the dakini principle manifests in our lives it is quite a blessing. Whenever someone of greater faith and compassion crosses our path we are brought to great shame. Yet, once we recognize our own shallow heart and deep arrogance it allows for a positive change to occur.

I’ll share an experience of mine – One nice, warm, summer evening, about ten years ago, I was strolling down one of the back-streets of Chinatown in NYC, away from the crowds and traffic, and I was passing by a storefront. Behind the front glass window of the small shop, sat a statue of the Buddha. An elderly Asian woman seemed to appear out of nowhere. She was approx 60 years of age, pencil thin to the point of emaciation, and very haggard and impoverished looking.

She quickly stood facing the window, clasped her hands together as if in prayer, and quickly bowed three times to the Buddha’s image, before quickly disappearing once again, into the urban jungle of NYC’s Chinatown.

This occurred during the time I fancied myself somewhat of an Atheist-Scientist-Rationalist-Buddhist and for about ten minutes I thought to myself: How far superior is my understanding to her understanding? Did she study the sciences and have an engineering degree? Did she have huge book collection of western philosophers, eastern philosophers, advanced physics, and did she understand where Buddhism intersects and stands within that great pantheon? Did she understand particle theory? Dark matter? String theory? Plato? Descartes? Sartre? All the great thinkers and philosophers of the ages? All the intricacies of interdependent origination?

How dare she degrade and insult Siddhartha Gautama’s teachings by merely bowing to his image as if he were a common God of some sort, to be prayed to, revered and worshiped. How dare this vile, tired, haggard, and skinny, old Asian woman, corrupt MY Buddhism with her primitive folk beliefs and her irrational superstition? At that very moment, I was Stephen Batchelor. I became Stephen Batchelor, or even worse!

Epiphany:

After ten minutes of such thought, I became literally nauseated, sick to my stomach, and ill because of myself and my big, fat, ego and proud sense of self. And I had somewhat of an epiphany, regarding my own shallowness, egotism, ignorance, and lack of compassion.

With all my stone-cold reason, hard science, rational facts, and intellectual B.S., who was it for me to question, cast doubt upon, consider more ignorant or less informed, any person’s beliefs or practice?

Maybe that old, skinny, woman, knows more about Buddhism than I do. Perhaps her practice and application of it is superior or more pure than mine. Perhaps she has developed more positive karma in her life than I have or ever will. Perhaps she could teach me many things about life and Buddhism. Perhaps she is a kinder person than I. Perhaps she is more compassionate than I. Perhaps she has helped others more than I. Perhaps she is further down `the path’ than I am.

At this point, I decided that I am not one to judge others in their beliefs and practices. I can only say what is right for me, and my path, and my beliefs. I am not here to denigrate anyone else’s path or write books claiming “mine is superior” for such and such reason…

I was never good at chess but always loved to play. There are certainly good points and bad points to the game of chess. But if you don’t get too involved or obsessed with it we can analyze the principles and take only what is good from it.

Value:

The relative value of pieces must first be known. The pawn is worth one point. The bishop and knight are worth three points. The rook is worth five points and the queen is worth nine points. The king, because he can be captured and the game lost has infinite value.

Once you understand this you can make an educated choice on how to move or capture your opponent’s pieces. As you learn to make better choices, you can definitely apply this to your life – whether it is raising a family or developing yourself on the quest. Chess teaches us to utilize our often neglected reasoning skills.

Sacrifice:

Compassion is the understanding or empathy for the suffering of others. It is regarded as a fundamental part of human love and foundational to the highest principles in philosophy and religion. It is much needed today in our society yet it starts with a good intention and proper goals in life.

In chess, one of the great tactics is to sacrifice material to gain a special advantage later. This teaches us a nice lesson not to be greedy solely for the purpose of material gain. This is the heart of the bodhisattva’s way of life. He or she lives on good principles and not bad ones that consist of harming others. In other cultures, this type of hero is called a good Samaritan in Christianity or a Caretaker in the Native American religion. It is a universal principle that shines through in most religions.

Needless to say, one of the most surprising moves is considered the queen-sacrifice because her value is among the highest. When executed properly a master will, more often than not, win the game.

“Combinations with a queen sacrifice are among the most striking and memorable.” – Anatoly Karpov

There are two types of sacrifices. The good sacrifice and the bad sacrifice. The good sacrifice helps gain an advantage later on. The bad sacrifice is done without proper forethought and planning. It would be more of an unconscious impulse – something akin to a martyr complex.

In the spiritual world, it is often thought that we must sacrifice our self in order to attain enlightenment. Of course, this is very true but how you give up your self is very important. Without the guidance of a guru and without the guidance of proper scriptural sources you may just believe that suicide is the answer. Therefore, without any consideration you end up seeking your own death without thinking of how it will affect your parents, children or spouse.

You truly will be creating negative karma if you act selfishly and without awareness. The results of suicide are told over and over that you end up in a hell realm or a bad migration in your next lifetime. One must contemplate this, consider the consequences correctly and receive proper instruction before one can gain confidence to act correctly in all situations.

Vipashana:

Chess may have a hidden element in it that could be the starting point to proper insight (vipashana) meditation later on.

I always wondered what would happen if two Buddhas played chess with each other. Who would win?

By studying the texts of the great chess masters, the answer is already known. They tell us that the perfect game will consist of neither a win nor a loss. If either player doesn’t make a mistake then the game will certainly end in a draw.

Two important questions:

What is his intent?

What is his weakness?

If you keep these two questions in mind; you will be ahead of the game. Often you will just look at your side of the board and rush to make your move. But each move consists of an intrinsic advantage and weakness. You just have to discover it. When you get stuck ask the question, “What weakness did he leave behind?” and you will learn to expand your awareness to his side of the board.

Life stories:

Here are two beautiful stories that hit the essential point. In the first, we might not see any immediate benefit to the Bodhisattva hero. On the surface, it just seems like he lost his life. But it was a conscious act of compassion that eventually leads to his full enlightenment. In a future life he does awaken to Buddhahood. Naturally, this act did not go unnoticed by the Buddhas who have the eye of omniscience. This compassionate action sped up his development as positive karma was created.

In the second story, we see the power of a realized Buddha making a sacrifice with the principle of crazy wisdom. Since he was a Buddha there were no harmful consequence to him and his action only enhanced and benefited all who heard, saw and believed the display-like miracle.

1. The touching story of The Hungry Tigress is from the Jataka tales. This is one excerpt from a collection of past life stories of Shakyamuni Buddha.

The Bodhisattva, in a lifetime before he became the Buddha, came upon a hungry tigress and her cubs. Seeing the tigress was too weak to hunt, the Bodhisattva sent his traveling companions away to look for food. While they were away, he threw himself over a cliff, thereby offering his body for food to the hungry tigress and her cubs.

2. The story of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava is part of a long discourse given by the late Khenchen Palden Sherab in 1992 on the life of Guru Rinpoche:

With Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava we see the deep sacrifice of both the master and the disciple. Wanting to learn the dharma from the Guru rather than lead a worldly life and get married, the princess was sentenced to prison for her actions while he was to be burned at the stake.

“The men ignored her and Guru Padmasambhava was captured. His hands were bound and they led him off surrounded by hordes of people. They wanted to make sure that he did not try to run away. By royal decree, his punishment was to be burned at the stake. Mandarava was sentenced to prison for 25 years, while all 500 of her attendants were sentenced to ten years. All of this was the king’s decision. A great quantity of wood was collected from the local households and soaked with sesame oil.”

Guru Rinpoche was tied in the center and the pyre was lit. The king ordered that no one be allowed into the area for a week except those who were tending the fire.

“Now while Guru Rinpoche was in the midst of the flames, the fire transformed into water, which soon became a lake encircled on its outer perimeter by a ditch sporting a halo of upside-down flames. In the center of this beautiful lake there was a wondrous lotus flower and above that, Guru Padmasambhava was sitting in the posture of royal ease, even more glorious than before.”

Sutras:

Vimalakirti explains, in The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti that even sharing the dharma with others is a great dharma sacrifice. It definitely is not an easy action to perform.

Vimalakirti explains that:

“Those who teach it to others, whether it be no more than a single stanza of four lines, or a single summary phrase from this teaching of the Dharma, will be performing the great Dharma-sacrifice.”

The truth is that obstacles can arise when doing any type of good deed. Furthermore, it is much harder to spread the dharma that helps liberate sentient beings lost in confusion. As one common axiom explains: No good deed goes unpunished. People often reject unsolicited advice.

Computers:

Most people that love computer programming and chess believe that calculating up to fifteen or twenty moves means more intelligence. In reality, that is just the power of the intellectual mind and not necessarily intelligence in the sense of having Awareness and Compassion. For basic game-play, one just needs to utilize three half-moves as the chess coach Bruce Pandolfini advises. You move once, your opponent moves, then you move again. This is called a combination. Only in certain instances does one need to calculate up to ten moves and that usually is near the end of the game.

In Buddhism, there are explicit instructions on how to develop the mind. With a little thought we can see how our body and mind is also like a computer. Our ordinary mind, while still unenlightened has a glitch. The main misconception – the belief in an inherently existent self, needs to be corrected. Once we can organize our mind properly we surely gain better clarity. One way to do this is to study and reflect on the scriptural teachings. And if you are fortunate enough to participate in shedra courses you will be all the better for it.

Final point:

The sutras and tantras tell us that on the eighth stage of a Bodhisattva’s realization there is no longer any separation between meditation and post-meditation. At that point, there is no compulsive reification of concepts. What this means is that when you turn away from the chess board, the next moment you no longer have the same habitual thought-patterns going on. If you lost the game, you can let it go.

In fact, you can let anything go – whatever good or bad things happen, you just abide in the nature of mind. This is Mahamudra. In the next moment, you can bring your awareness to the task at hand. This is something we should all aspire towards.

There are a few misconceptions in our western culture about the effects of chanting mantras. To clear this up, first we need to know there is a difference between worldly mantras and Buddhist mantras.

Certain psychological tantras have told us that mantras will just induce a self-hypnosis. One one level, this may be true. It depends on the individual. On the other hand, we are taught that there is a greater spiritual significance when we chant the mantras of Tara or Avalokiteshvara for instance. The difference is like night and day.

When a fully enlightened being empowers his mantra it comes from his heart-essence with a good and noble intention. This type of mantra will benefit your body, speech and mind in countless ways. Having such a wonderful, skillful method at our disposal will lead to the vast purification of our negative karma. It will definitely erase negative karmic patterns physically, mentally and vocally.

Unfortunately, if you are not well informed and have chosen a worldly mantra from a deity who is not fully enlightened it cannot be much help. In fact, it could even harm you if the offended spirit, under the sway of negative afflictive emotions, takes action against you. You could have obstacles for many years or even a lifetime if you are not aware of this.

We want to choose a mantra to purify our karma, increase our positive spiritual vibration, develop wisdom and generate the compassionate mind to benefit all sentient beings as far as endless space.

Buddhist sutra:

The Buddha explains in the Shurangama sutra what I have said more succinctly and quite powerfully here:

The Buddha told Ananda, “All Buddhas, Tathagatas, speak words which are not false. There might be another person who had personally committed the four major offenses and the ten parajikas so that, in an instant he would have to pass through the Avichi Hells in this world and other worlds, until he had passed through all the Relentless Hells in the ten directions without exception.

And yet if he could explain this dharma-door for just the space of a thought to those in the Dharma-ending Age who have not yet studied it, his obstacles from offenses would be eradicated in response to that thought, and all the hells where he was to undergo suffering would become lands of peace and bliss.

The blessings he would obtain would surpass those of the person previously mentioned by hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of times, indeed by so many times that no calculations or analogies could express it.

Ananda, if living beings are able to recite this sutra and uphold this mantra, I could not describe in endless eons how great the benefits will be. Rely on the teaching I have spoken. Cultivate in accord with it, and you will directly realize Bodhi without encountering demonic karma.”

The Shurangama dharani is wonderful to recite and very powerful. However, it is quite long to memorize. Fortunately, there are many mantras available such as those of Chenrezi and Tara that are much shorter and quite powerful too.

Benefits of the Mani mantra:

The Late VenerableGeshe Ngawang Dhargyey gave a talk about what the benefits are of the Chenrezi mantra in relation to developing the six perfections:

The mantra OM MANI PADME HUM is easy to say yet quite powerful, because it contains the essence of the entire teaching.

When you say the first syllable OM it is blessed to help you achieve perfection in the practice of generosity,

MA helps perfect the practice of pure ethics, and

NI helps achieve perfection in the practice of tolerance and patience.

PAD, the fourth syllable, helps to achieve perfection of perseverance,

ME helps achieve perfection in the practice of concentration,

and the final sixth syllable HUM helps achieve perfection in the practice of wisdom.

Obstacles in life:

Many years ago, I had many obstacles in my life to such a degree that even my sadhana practice became almost nonexistent. I got myself into quite a mess. One day, I really just had enough and made a strong determination to accumulate mantra every day.

I wanted to practice in post-meditation everywhere I went – whether I was eating, working or sitting on the couch watching television. However, being a quiet person who never wanted to draw attention to myself, I didn’t want to carry a mala around for everyone to see. So, I went online to purchase a digital tally counter that I could keep hidden in the palm of my hand.

That whole year, I went through so much hardship and suffering that it was quite unimaginable to consider all that was happening. The difficulties were to such a degree, that I would never wish this on my worst enemy. Fortunately, after five months of diligent practice I had received an auspicious sign. Upon breaking through so much ingrained, negative karma I was happy to see a double-rainbow outside my backyard.

Digital counter:

Now five years later, technology has come even further and these neat counters are even smaller. It is sometimes called a finger-counter because the built-in strap wraps around your finger. One reviewer wrote:

This must be the smallest tally counter you can buy. It is perfect to keep a tally in an unobtrusive way. You can wear it like a ring, with the counter facing your palm and you just touch the counter with your thumb.

Some people have the misunderstanding that this product erases its count every once in a while. Since it does have an auto shut-off function, whenever you leave it untouched for ten or fifteen minutes it will go blank. The count is stored in its memory, so when you touch the button again it switches back on and it re-appears. It is a good function for saving the life of the battery.

The other one you may find out there does not have a light function. With that model, for some strange reason when I put it in my pocket (six times out of ten) when I pulled it out, the counter would erase. I verified this since the other one I have does the same exact thing. And I know I didn’t hit the reset button by mistake because it is recessed and not easy to press. Once, I actually saw it reset in front of my own eyes when I quickly pulled it out of my pocket. So there must be a malfunction with the electronic part inside. I hope they realize this and fix it someday because that model is also nice and a much needed tool.

Inspiration:

I write this with the intention to hopefully inspire someone. I love practicing with a mala and that has many benefits as well. But when we get right down to it, we need to take advantage of our post-meditation practice. If you can practice anywhere you go, it is easy to accumulate 100,000 mantras in a month and over time you could have over a million recitations done in a year.

I wanted to compose something beneficial for those people that have a loved one that has died or is in the process of dying. Since it is never easy to find what you need at the last minute, I figured it would be proper to put all the texts and information in one place.

This yantra (image at right) is depicted in the classic text called the Tibetan Book of the Dead. It was also passed down from Yogi C. M. Chen to his disciples. It belongs to a class of blessing objects called “Liberation through Touch”, meaning that one will gain liberation merely by wearing it.

The central deity is Adi Buddha or Samantabhadra Buddha the supreme dharmakaya buddha. He is surrounded by all the 100 peaceful and wrathful deities. The surrounding mantras are associated with the deities in the mandala and the buddhas of the six realms at the outermost circle.

Many westerners, having received teachings on the Bardo states, wonder how these might be applied at the time of their death or the death of others. Basically, the teachings say that, rather than fearing death, one should approach the Bardo states as opportunities for enlightenment and, in order to be open to these opportunities, one should have prepared through practice during one’s lifetime.

“However, even with no experience whatsoever, if one can die a ‘conscious death’ — calmly and openly with no fear, anger, or attachment—one can still create the conditions for enlightenment or a fortunate rebirth.”

These are the actual root verses that a Tibetan Lama would recite next to the bedside of a dying person. This is a very important text. It is called Bardo Thodal or “Liberation upon Hearing” in the Bardo.

These mantras are chanted at the time of death. This text was arranged by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. These mantras can be chanted for the dying person so that they receive blessings. It doesn’t matter how close or far away you are. You can still direct energy and transfer merits to them in this skillful way.

Fortunately, there is one bonus within this text. There is a special Tibetan script which you can print and then cut out. Once you have it, then you can place it on the body of the one who is dying. It will benefit them tremendously so they will have a peaceful death and a higher rebirth in the next life.

The Medicine Buddha mantra is an excellent way to help your loved one who is in the process of dying or after they have passed. Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains the following to help us understand the value of the Medicine Buddha practice:

“The Medicine Buddha encompasses all the buddhas. This means that when we practice the seven-limb prayer and make offerings with the seven limbs, we receive the same merit as we would if we had made offerings to all the buddhas. Similarly, when we recite the mantra of Medicine Buddha, we collect unbelievable merit just as when we offer the seven-limb practice to Medicine Buddha.”

“Kungawo, do you believe my explanation of the qualities of that tathagata [Medicine Buddha]?”

Kungawo replied to the Bhagavan: “I do not have a two-pointed mind with regard to the teachings of you, the celibate Bhagavan. Why? Because the actions of the tathagata’s holy body, holy speech, and holy mind are always pure, without a single mistake.”

Then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha gave this advice:

“Kungawo, whoever hears the holy name of that tathagata will not fall into the evil realms of the suffering transmigratory beings.”

Therefore, at the time of death, it is excellent to recite both Tathagata Medicine Buddha’s holy name and his mantra in the ear of the dying person.

It is extremely beneficial to recite the mantra and blow it upon meat that you are eating, or even on old bones or the dead bodies of animals or humans. This action purifies the karmic obscurations of those sentient beings. It can cause someone who has been reborn in the suffering lower realms to immediately pass away and be reborn in a pure realm or amongst happy transmigrators. At the very least, it will shorten the duration of their suffering in the lower realms.

Medicine Buddha Sadhana:

For forty-nine days after someone’s death, it is a Buddhist tradition that prayers are done for your loved one. For each seven day period, within the Bardo (intermediate state), there is a significant transition that occurs for the deceased. To help them wake up and become more lucid at this time, prayers and mantras can be done to assist them.

“These special prayers are done on the day before the weekly anniversary of his death because there is the idea that each week, he passes through a transformation in Bardo and the prayers assist with peaceful transitions in the Bardo state.” — Losang Samten

For example, if someone dies on a Wednesday, it is especially important to do sadhana practice on each Tuesday.

In a general way, the following texts can be recited by anyone. Just print it out and make it into a precious text for yourself. The booklet form, however, is a little harder to put together. I would suggest this short four-page text would be easiest to perform:

For the serious aspirant who wants a method that will repair the nervous system in a thorough way one must investigate the esoteric practices of the Six Yogas of Naropa.

The first yoga is called the practice of inner fire referred to as tummo in Tibetan or candali in Sanskrit. A good introductory book into this wonderful practice is Lama Yeshe’s commentary called “The Bliss of Inner Fire.”

Mastery of inner fire quickly brings the mind to its most refined and penetrating state — the experience of clear light, an extra-ordinarily powerful state of mind that is unequaled in its ability to directly realize ultimate reality.

The Six Yogas:

Yoga of Inner Heat or tummo yoga (candali/mystic heat)

Yoga of Illusory-Body

Yoga of Clear Light

Yoga of Dream State

Yoga of the Intermediate State (bardo thodal)

Yoga of the Transference of Consciousness (phowa)

In his teachings, Milarepa frequently referred his tummo meditation as `my short-AH′. One day his disciple Gampopa told him that when he practiced single-pointed concentration he could remain for seven days in one uninterrupted session.

“So what?” replied Milarepa. “You sit for seven days but do not experience the clear light. If you meditated on my short-AH of inner fire you would experience the clear light very quickly.”

If you are serious about gaining proper health and moving forward quickly on your path to enlightenment then it is imperative to seek out a qualified lama to gain empowerment into this ancient tradition. It will help repair the nerves, open up the heart and quickly gain results in meditation.

Now that Buddhism has spread all over the world it is much easier to train in the tsa-lung or trulkor exercises instead of having to journey and take much hardship in traveling through the Himalayan mountains.

These advanced sets of physical exercise will help release the tension or knots in the subtle body that prevent a good flow of spiritual energy in the body. Once you have done this you can literally feel the psychologicalarmor that you may have held onto, ever since you were young, melt away forever.

“Lord of Heaven, if one hears this Usnisa Vijaya Dharani once, all the bad karma incurred from his previous lives that should cause him to fall into hells will be destroyed altogether. He will instead acquire a fine and pure body. Wherever he is reborn, he will clearly remember the Dharani – from one Buddhaland to another, from one heavenly realm to another heavenly realm. Indeed, throughout the Trayastrimsa Heavens, wherever he is reborn, he will not forget.”

“Lord of Heaven, if someone at death’s door recalls this divine Dharani, even for just a moment, his lifespan will be extended and he will acquire purification of body, speech and mind. Without suffering any physical pain and in accordance with his meritorious deeds, he will enjoy tranquility everywhere. Receiving blessings from all the Tathagatas, and constantly guarded by devas and protected by Bodhisattvas, he will be honoured and respected by people, and all his evil hindrances will be eradicated.”

“Lord of Heaven, if someone can sincerely read or recite this Dharani even for a short period of time, all his karmic retribution which would lead him to suffer in the hells, the animal realm, the realm of King Yama and the hungry ghost realm, will be completely destroyed and eradicated without leaving any trace. He will be free to go to any of the Buddhas’ Pure Lands and heavenly palaces; all gateways leading to the Bodhisattvas’ abode are open to him unobstructed.”

After hearing the above discourse, Lord Sakra immediately appealed to the Buddha, “For the sake of all sentient beings, may the World Honoured One kindly give a discourse on how one’s lifespan can be lengthened.”

The Buddha was aware of Lord Sakra’s intention and his eagerness to hear His discourse on this Dharani and so immediately proclaimed the Mantra thus:

Then the Buddha told Lord Sakra, “The above Mantra is known as the ‘ Purifying All Evil Paths’ Usnisa Vijaya Dharani’. It can eliminate all evil karmic hindrances and eradicate the suffering of all evil paths.”

“Lord of Heaven, this great Dharani is proclaimed together by Buddhas as numerous as eighty-eight kotis (hundred million) of the grains of sand of the Ganges River. All Buddhas rejoice and uphold this Dharani that is verified by the wisdom seal of the Maha Vairocana Tathagata. This is because the Dharani is proclaimed to remove all sufferings borne by beings in the evil paths, to liberate them from painful retribution in hell, animal and King Yama’s realms; to deliver beings facing immediate danger of falling into the sea of birth and death (samsara); to assist helpless beings with short lifespans and poor fortune and to deliver beings who like to commit all kinds of evil deeds. Moreover, because of Its dwelling and being upheld in the Jambu-dvipa world, the power manifested by this Dharani would cause all beings in hells and other evil realms; those with poor fortune and revolving in the cycles of birth and death; those not believing in the existence of good and evil deeds and are deviated from the proper path, to attain deliverance.”

The Buddha then told the Four Heavenly Kings, “Please listen attentively, for your benefit as well as for the benefit of all beings with short lifespans, I will now explain the method to uphold this Dharani. On a full-moon day – the 15th day of the lunar month, one should first bathe oneself and put on new clean clothes, uphold the profound precepts and recite this Dharani 1000 times. This will cause one to lengthen one’s lifespan, and be permanently free from the sufferings of illness; all one’s karmic hindrances will be completely eradicated, One will also be liberated from suffering in hell. If birds, animals and other sentient beings hear this Dharani once, they will never again be reborn in these impure and gross body forms once their lives have ended.”

The Buddha further added, “If one can chant this Dharani 21 times daily, one is worthy of accepting all the immense worldly offerings and will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss after one’s death. If one chants this Dharani constantly, one will attain Maha Parinirvana and be able to lengthen one’s lifespan besides enjoying the most extraordinary bliss. After one’s life is over, one will be reborn in any of the wonderful Buddhalands, in constant company of the Buddhas. All Tathagatas will always give discourses on the profound and wonderful truth of Dharma and all World Honoured Ones will bestow predictions of enlightenment upon one. The light illuminating from one’s body will pervade all Buddhalands.”

MH has talked about sungazing as one of the important ways to get back to health. He always says the modern person spends too much time in indoors, in the dark – and in the long run this is definitely not good for our health. In the past, he has recommended conceiving children outdoors to create more Aware Beings. I don’t know much about that but it would be interesting to hear feedback on children conceived under the sun and how they behave in life afterwards.

At the Solar Healing Center website Hira Ratan Manek has one of the better methods for practicing this form safely. I accomplished three months worth of sungazing which is up to the 15 minute mark and had many good results from it. Once you start gazing at the sun it will activate the pituitary and pineal glands in the brain. It will also open up blockages in the spine right away. Another good quality about the practice is, it will heal and repair the functional channel to improve digestion.

When you gaze directly at the sun, the most important benefit is steadying the eyes. As a rule of thumb, when the eyes are steady the mind becomes steady. As we intentionally still our body there is a better chance to deepen our meditative practice and stability can be gained. A famous quote from the bible says:

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

You can gaze directly or indirectly at the sun. When you are fully and properly trained, gazing DIRECTLY at the sun will yield the most benefits. In this case you will experience the deepest penetration of light and energy into your system. When you are not too experienced you can gaze INDIRECTLY and let the light begin to enter your system slower as you stare into the sky alone or look through the leaves of a tree with the sunlight being diffused.

For best results, it has been taught to stand on sand or dirt and not the grass while gazing at the sun. If you are not sure, try both until you can perceive what is better. After working with it I am sure you can discern that standing in sand, gravel or dirt is a lot better energetic wise.

The method: Stare at the sun for ten seconds on day one; then add ten seconds to each day. Blinking is OK. When finished, palm your hands over your eyes and concentrate on the after-image of the sun until it disappears.

After 90 days all mental disorders and mental diseases will be cured

After 180 days all physical disorders get cured

After 270 days hunger pangs disappear and you attain victory over taste and hunger

Power boost: Looking at the sun for 30 seconds early in the morning reduces melatonin levels right away so your body temperature rises immediately. This will counteract the tendency to sleep all day like a vampire and you feel super-charged.

It is very important to practice during the safe hours. Research more about it at the HRM website:

“No harm will come to your eyes during the morning and evening safe hours. The safe hours are anytime within 1-hour window after sunrise or anytime within the 1-hr window before sunset. It is scientifically proven beyond a reasonable doubt that during these times, one is free from UV and IR rays exposure, which is harmful to your eyes.” — Hira Ratan Manek

RULE: It is import to get thoroughly educated first and NOT exceed 44 minutes as it will be dangerous.

TIPS: I discovered two things with my own observations of this practice. First, if you bare your teeth to the sun – the bones all through-out the body are infused with healing light. Second, if you close your eyes and face the sun it feels like an acupuncture session as the individual channels that are in most need of repair get energized.

IMPORTANT: Always palm the eyes afterwards as this will be cooling. If you are attuned to reiki…the symbols in the palms will add more beneficial healing energy into your eyes and throughout your nervous system.

One last thing, BEFORE each session it is good to drink a glass of water to hydrate your body and AFTER the session it is best to walk on the grass for some time to ground the solar energy that you took in.

There are some people that are so intuitive to their surroundings that it is a constant struggle to survive in the world. They can go into a room where a couple had a fight and can just feel terrible negative energies there. Some sensitive people can examine an object such as jewelry (worn by others for years) and know their life was filled with stress or sadness.

Other people can pick up the negative vibrations from the food they eat and note that the chief was angry while preparing that meal. And still other people will feel that negative entities are “attacking” them or draining away their energy.

Why does this happen?

While part of this ability is a result of meditative practice, the other part is having a very weak constitution.

When your internal subtle-body is not strong or toned, you are more vulnerable to negative energies and outside influences. A good healer can “see” with their high sensory perception, that the client has one large hole in their aura or many tiny ones all over. In scientific terms, this would mean that your nervous system is damaged. In spiritual terms, the channels or chakras are broken and in need of repair.

Some ways that will cause you to have major damage (holes) in your aura are:

physical and sexual abuse

substance and drug abuse

vaccines and medical prescriptions

Many new age books have talked about building a protective shield of light around the body. This might work for some but it is only a temporary benefit. The constant attention on that takes away from the necessary work of contemplation. The superior way is to get to the root of the problem and repair the nervous system.

Once the nervous system is healed, fear of negative entities is no longer a problem – they just bounce off you.

There are many healing modalities for repairing the nervous system. Each one that I have researched has some unique quality that will provide some results. Here are the ones that I have personally tried and can attest for. They are as follows: the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, Feldenkrais Movement therapy, juice fasting, Reiki Tummo, Network Chiropractic, Chi-Lel chi kung, and Fragrant Chi Kung

The one that is of primary importance is the Barbara Brennan School of Healing therapy. The Barbara Brennan trained reiki-healer will assist you in releasing pain and unnecessary connections from your emotional body. She will also help you move dark, unconscious energies from your astral and etheric bodies. Having someone there to help heal your core issues and empower you to bring forth your true Self is so vitally important.

With Feldenkrais Movement Therapy the healer will help you release the stress and strain that has been stored in the muscles, due to habitual contractions held in your body since childhood. Having someone to assist you to move these old traumatic energies from your body is indispensable for stable progress to come about.

In addition, Juice Fasting helps the body to fully relax, cleanse the blood, and rebuild the organs. While fasting, the nervous system is free and doesn’t collect any forms of entropy with the outside world. This means that other people’s dense energies such as anger or hatred won’t “stick” to you at all. Unfortunately, once you start eating food again the problem tends to return but in a less uncomfortable manner.

To get around this problem it is beneficial to upgrade your nervous system in a spiritual manner. For long-term benefits, I highly recommend becoming attuned to level one Reiki Tummo in order to permanently stabilize your energy field. With this under your belt you will start to become more self-sufficient and able to handle most difficult situations. You will immediately be less tired and listless throughout the day.

In addition to all of the above, seeing a Network Chiropractor and practicing Chi-Lel Chi Kung is very helpful for maintaining the strength and functionality of the nervous system by aligning the spine. When the spine is freely able to adapt through any stressful situation then you are ahead of the game. You have an edge when your endurance is increased if you need to be on your feet all day long at work. At the very least, you have an antidote to remove the stress and get back into alignment when things go wrong after a long, hard day.

One of the deeper methods I found to realign and repair the nervous system is a method called Fragrant Buddha Chi Kung.

ground your body – surprisingly as the arms go up and out, the feet stick more firmly to the floor

strengthen the body in a way that one can stand with steadiness

activate the glands within the seven chakras due to each twisting movement

Even an old sports injury in my shoulder (a tiny break in the bone), which has bothered me off and on for about seventeen years, is improving as I notice the pain finally subsiding. I would say that consistent practice has started to build new channels around that area.

With all these beneficial qualities about it, I am going to challenge myself to practice it two or three times a day for the next three months. I already see the possibilities of it regenerating the entire nervous system, teeth and eyes.

Here is a video I created that gives more information on what is needed. You can also forward it easily to others that you care about. Whatever you choose to do remember that healing the nervous system is essential to stabilizing your mind and purifying your emotions.